Prince Claus Fund

At the Prince Claus Fund, we believe that culture is a catalyst for meaningful change. Founded in 1996, we are an independent foundation based in the Netherlands, dedicated to supporting, honouring, and connecting artists and cultural practitioners where culture is under pressure. Through trust-based funding, global networks, and award recognition, we empower those who use art to foster freedom, equity, and climate justice.

We amplify emerging talent, nurture future leaders, and celebrate changemakers working on the frontlines of social and political transformation — often in the most challenging conditions. Our focus is globally, with particular support for practitioners in countries on the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee list.

By supporting artists who challenge the status quo, we contribute to a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world, where everyone has the freedom to express themselves and shape their communities. With your support, we can keep building a worldwide movement that believes in the power of culture to spark change.

Who We Are

Founded in 1996, the Prince Claus Fund is an independent foundation in the Netherlands dedicated to human development through artistic expression and social engagement. Our mission is to support, honour, and connect artists and cultural practitioners in places where culture is under pressure with trust-based funding, global networks, and award recognition.

We amplify young & emerging talent, accelerate future leaders and recognise changemakers worldwide where cultural expression is under pressure, threatened by increasing suppression of artistic expression and limits to civil space. By creating a global network of changemakers and amplifying our awardees' ground-breaking work, we contribute to a more equitable, peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive future.

What We Do

We believe culture is a catalyst for change. Everything we do should ultimately contribute to a world where culture exerts its transformative power and leads to positive change: discovering new perspectives, spreading innovative ideas, and expressing our identity.

Since its founding the Prince Claus Fund focuses on supporting cultural practitioners in countries who are on the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

We know the ones who challenge the status quo are often at risk. They are at the forefront of urgent changes, and their voices need to be heard. Our work at the Prince Claus Fund centres around focuses on supporting cultural practitioners who work in three thematic areas:

• CLIMATE: showcasing the urgent global threat of climate crisis, which is already disproportionately affecting the environment and communities in the Global South. We work towards raising awareness and amplifying affected voices.
• EQUITY: challenging the fact that members of different groups have unequal access to resources, opportunities, representation, and justice at a local and global level. We contribute to advocate for equity by redistribution of resources.
• FREEDOM: elevating the capacity of people and communities to express, act, and live as they choose, against threats or restrictions. Meaningful freedom requires both absence of constraints but also the capability to exercise agency and actively pursue goals. That is why our work aims to defy pressure, create free spaces and advocate for freedoms.

As a pioneer in the cultural field, we award trust-based funding, recognition, and a global network to artists and cultural practitioners whose work focuses on three themes. The Prince Claus Fund is committed to supporting changemakers at every stage of their careers. We organize prestigious awards to contribute to each stage of a cultural practitioner's career cycle:

• SEED Awards as an early career boost for emerging artists to find their path and gain momentum
• FELLOWS Awards that create space for growth and experimentation for socially engaged mid-career artists– including the Arab Documentary Photography Programme, Climate and Artistic Responses to the Environmental Crisis, Building Beyond and Moving Narratives.
• Impact Awards recognise six trailblazing artists who engage their own communities with work that is relevant, urgent and inspiring.

From 1997 to 2021, 2,400 projects and 247 individuals were supported in 144 countries. Since 2021, PCF has awarded €3,240,000 in trust-based funding through our Seed, Mentorship, and Impact Awards. Between 2021 and 2023, 414 awardees were supported, with an average of 4,000 artists and changemakers applying for a PCF award each year. Since the Fund's inception, 50,000 participants have joined project production, with projects reaching 10+ million people worldwide. In total 25,000+ connections were facilitated between awardees and the international cultural field.

The Prince Claus Fund raises funds, collaborates and joins forces with like-minded organisations to increase its reach and impact. The Fund is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Dutch Postcode Lottery, companies and individual donations.

Even a small act can have a global effect. Supporting the Prince Claus Fund means direct access to areas you passionately care about. With your help, we can advance our global community of changemakers, accelerate their impact and amplify the power of culture as a fundamental force.

• Donate to make a difference and join the Prince Claus Fund's Friends, Patrons or International Circle
• Support our programmes, awards or general operations
• Partner with us in programmes